


On the Back of Dragons

by Mayori



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - How to Train Your Dragon Fusion, Always Girl Hiccup, F/M, Fem!Hicccup, Gen, Genderbending, HTTYD AU, Retelling, girl!hiccup
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-02-20 15:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2433923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayori/pseuds/Mayori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiccup never felt like she 'fit in' in her village. She always thought that if she could kill a dragon, those feelings would disappear, but when Hiccup finally meets a dragon in real life, she begins to wonder if dragons are indeed her foe - for this dragon certainly isn't. And then there is this boy who keeps using her as a landing pillow ...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Note from the Author

** A Note From The Author:  **

 

There were dragons everywhere when I was a little girl.

They came in all shapes and sizes. There were pretty Butterfly Dracons that laid its eggs in the trunk of trees, grim and fiery Monstrous Nightmares that nested atop cliffs like vultures, and gigantic sea dragons that could take down an entire Viking fleet with only one gulp of sea water.

But now the only time dragons could be found is during the raids. I was too young to understand what exactly caused the dragons to war with us Vikings and now that I am old enough to understand, no one remembers why. All those who were involved in The First Raid are already dead and feasting in Valhalla.

I used to live in Fagr-borg with mother and her family before father came to relocate us. The people of Fagr-borg had the strongest ties with the winged reptiles, and even after The First Raid, it remained a safe-haven for dragon riders. That is why Fagr-borg is now a town of outcasts – a town of dragon riders.

Berk, father’s home island on the other hand was one of the first islands to get rid of their dragons and burn their nesting grounds. Children my age and younger don’t remember dragons the way I do. They think dragons are only good dead. They think they are stupid, blood-thirsty creatures.

But I know different. I remember different.   

My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Great name, huh? But believe me it’s not the worst; Vikings believe that ugly names will discourage trolls and gnomes from running off with their kids –as if their charming Viking demeanor wouldn’t– , but my name has another meaning to it; Hiccup means that you are the runt of the village.

Hiccups are also the smartest. Being small and weak means you have to depend on other things to survive. Like books and legs, instead of brawn and strength.

So, despite my father’s claims that: “Vikings don’t write, lass! They YELL at their problems!” I will write. Soon, the war will be over and peace between dragon and man will be found. So, I will write a book about dragons; a new, updated dragon manual that everyone can use and benefit from.

But before I remembered, before I knew, I was a different girl. I was the girl who wanted to fit in with the Vikings; I was the girl who hated dragons. I was the disappointment. Until I wasn’t.

So, without further ado, this is my story.

Ever proud of whom I am,

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III


	2. Chapter One:  First Shoot Your Intended (Dragon)

 

 

 

 

 

 

** Chapter One: **

** First Shoot Your Intended (Dragon) **

 

Hiccup awoke to the sounds of the hammer. It was Wednesday and Gobber was starting on his daily chores; tomorrow is the last Thursday of the month and everyone was preparing for the raid.

Hiccup knew she should wake up and help her tutor, but she really couldn’t be bothered. Rather than mend and make weapons that will be broken again tomorrow, she’d rather chase the remnants of her dream. It was a pleasant dream, filled with warmth and laughter. There was a woman in the dream and Hiccup liked to think that it was her mother.

She knew that that was impossible because Hiccup’s mom died when she was just a baby, eaten by a dragon. She still liked to dream though.

The woman in her dream was saying something though. Hiccup closed her eyes and concentrated; what was the warm woman saying?

_fate…. war…_

“Hiccup, lass! Your breakfast is getting cold!”

“Coming!” She replied. She stretched languidly on her bed before she rolled off to the cold, harsh wooden floor. Now wide awake, her dreams nothing but a whisper in the back of her mind, she began to get ready.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is not a normal girl. She is the Hope and Heir of the Hairy Hooligans tribe, although the ‘hope’ part is severely lacking. The Hairy Hooligans are Vikings, but Hiccup is definitely not Normal Viking Material.

Her father held hopes that she might be Extraordinary Viking Material but with her lack of bulging muscles and possession of brains, she is shaping up to be part of the Substandard Viking Material AKA the runt.

After she finished washing her face, Hiccup changed to her normal working clothes and began to deal with her hair. Thankfully, unlike her father, Hiccup had inherited her mother’s dark tresses which were easier to deal than her father’s red mane.

He woke up every day with at least twenty knots in his hair.

She slipped on her warm, furry boots and got out of the small room she occupied in the forge. It wasn’t really her room; it was an old storage room. She just slept there when she didn’t feel like going back home to her family. Yet Gobber had kindly commissioned the wooden dragon plate that hung on the room’s door, declaring it as: “Hiccup’s Room”.

“Good morning Gobber! Did you sleep well?” She asked, taking a deep breath through her nose. The smell of breakfast, which she has long since associated with a happy morning, pleased her greatly. Although it was simple eggs and bread and cheese, she loved sitting down on the table and eating with Gobber.

It’s much better than eating breakfast by herself back home.

The blonde Viking, as large and wide as any other man from his tribe, washed his hand in the water basin and seated himself across Hiccup. Instead of a hand, his left arm’s connected to a mug filled with fizzy liquid. Hiccup also knew he’s missing a right foot.

The young girl loved the man seated in front of her as much as she loved her father. More, she would admit, if she was in a particularly sour mood. Unlike most Vikings, Gobber’s smart and sneaky. He is open-minded and extremely talented; he can sew, he can dance, he can sing (bawdy songs are his specialty), he can cook, and he can fight. Despite his less than desirable table manners, Hiccup thought that Gobber is the best Viking ever.

Gobber didn’t reply. Instead he sighed and stared at forlornly at his arm. “Ah to be young, wild and have most of my limbs again; then I could join the party instead of manning the forge _most_ of the time!”

“Well, at least you still have half of your limbs left!” Hiccup cheerfully told him, biting into her eggs’ and cheese sandwich. “You could’ve ended up like my grandfather, Valiant the Third; no arms and feet!”

Gobber pointedly ignored her remark and continued to stare at his arm, as though he was trying to figure out what he did to make it leave him. The girl sighed; she hated dragon raids! Everyone wanted to be out killing dragons! What’s the fun in that?

But slaying a dragon is a Very Important Business for the Vikings of Berk. Hiccup knew that if she wanted to fit in the village, she had to perform this deed. She didn’t know how she could manage such action, for she couldn’t even kill a spider! Yet, she knew what she had to do.

“Say Gobber, can I go tomorrow?”

“Go? Go where?”

“You know, join in the raid?”

Gobber’s face darkened. He wasn’t her father but he often acted like he was; her father was gone more often than not but Gobber was always there.

“No. Ask your father.”

“So is that no ‘no you can’t go,’ or is that ‘no you should ask your father’? Come on! I have to make my mark! Once I slay a dragon, my life will infinitely get better!”

“Oh you’ve made your mark alright lass! In other people’s asses or heads, that’s where!”

Hiccup groaned, but it was all for show. She had a plan; she kills one large dragon and then retire from dragon-killing.

Forever.

She’d make her father proud and prove to her village how Viking-ish she really was. She grinned at the thought of The Mangler, waiting to be used, to bring glory. So lost was she in her daydreams that she never noticed Gobber’s wary stare at her grin.

*****

It was the dawn of the last Thursday of the month but Hiccup wasn’t tucked in bed liked she should be. Gobber thought she was home and her father thought she was at the forge.

Instead, she is lying on her stomach between the trees, wearing her special camouflage suit. She made it from her father’s old tattered shirts and pants. It was three layered, for warmth and she sewed the outside with leftover leather from her projects, for extra protection.  It wasn’t ideal, but it was easy to clean so that was useful. Especially since she was now covered with mud, dung and leaves. Many Vikings passed by and didn’t notice her, so it was worth it.

If it worked on Vikings, it should work on dragons. According to her father, dragon brains are like flies “light and purposeless”. Hiccup privately thought that Viking brains are lighter than a fly’s, but she didn’t dare voice _that_ thought outloud.

She waited with a baited breath. A loud, unmistakable shriek of the Sly Scout declared the beginning of the raid. Her heart hammered against her chest, as though it was attempting to escape. She took a deep breath in and concentrated.

The Sly Scout glided in front of her. It was too quick for her to shoot, but she got a good glimpse of the light blue creature. She memorized the triangle shaped scales, the smooth papery wings, the bulging throat and the small head of the dragon. Later, she’ll draw the Sly Scout in her notebook. Hiccup propelled herself using her elbows, crawling quietly towards her contraption. The Mangler was covered with mud and leaves too, but not dung. It hurt her too much to cover her baby with waste.

She didn’t want to waste any time. After the Sly Scouts, other dragons will soon be attacking. She didn’t want to kill a Deadly Nadder; it’s too fast. She didn’t want a Zippleback, either. Its two heads can prove disastrous against her Mangler. She didn’t want to kill a Monstrous Nightmare simply because it frightened her.

That left her with the slowest, but toughest, dragon. A Gronkle _should_ be easy enough to kill, provided it was alone. Usually, Gronkles would stick together like a herd, but in raids they often fight individually, so today is the best day to hunt a dragon. For her, that is.

Other Vikings can hunt dragons any time they won’t. Not that she wanted to hunt dragons, of course. She was very happy in her forge, but she had to do this. She will make her father proud.

The Sly Scouts let out another screech and as though it was a signal, hundreds of dragons began to descend upon her village. Hiccup watched, transfixed, as the dragons flew past her. She had never seen so many dragons in her life!

The colors, the shapes, the flames! Each dragon was delightfully different and Hiccup, at that moment, wanted to do nothing but study those marvelous beasts. She shook her head, trying to shake the admiration from her mind. It didn’t work, but it helped her concentrate.

“Ok,” she said to herself, maneuvering her machine to the side. Her eyes widened as she observed the fight in front of her. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…” She began muttering. No matter where she angled her Mangler, Vikings blocked her way. How could she be so stupid? Just because the area was deserted before the raid, doesn’t mean it will remain deserted _during_ the raid!

She cursed under her breath. She needed to get out of here and find a better place to shoot from. Okay, the front was too crowded for her purpose but what if she went from the back? The teenager turned her head around. She knew that there was a cliff that overlooked the sea and the small island which housed the trebuchet.

Dragons rarely attacked there because there is no food, but many dragons come from that direction.

“Ok.” She said again, gripping The Mangler’s handles before she turned around and sprinted towards the cliff. Hiccup reached the cliff panting and sweating. Activating the machine, the girl looked around. From her place, she could see the trebuchet and the stars. It looked very pretty; like a painting.

Smoke curled above the weapon. Looks like the dragons already attacked here. “Great,” She muttered. “the likelihood of any dragon coming here is decreasing by the second.”

Suddenly, she heard a growl. Actually, she heard many growls and she recognized the sound; the Night Fury. Almighty Odin! She didn’t want to shoot a Night Fury! Hiccup raised her head and looked around. She saw a dark outline of a slim dragon, blocking the ray of the stars. There!

“Uh-oh. Don’t come near, please.” She begged, but she knew it was useless. The black dragon let out a loud shriek and speeded towards her. Hearing her own heart beating in her chest, she felt tears sting her eyes. Her small hands curled around the handles of The Mangler and she pushed the foot pedal.

Hiccup’s body got thrown off the machine and she landed on her butt. She looked up and she saw the Night Fury get hit by the bolas she had launched. It let out a pitiful cry before it veered to the right, crashing past Raven Point.

“I... I did it?” She said in wonder, then a big smile spread on her face and she punched the air with her right fist. “Yes! I did! I did it! I hit a dragon! Did anybody _see_ that?”

She turned around and was met with the displeased eyes of the Monstrous Nightmare.

“I am sorry,” She said nervously, the smile slipping off her face. She took three steps back and the large dragon loomed over her. “I didn’t mean you – I mean, was that Night Fury your friend? I am sure he is alright.”

The pink dragon huffed a hot breath, before it set itself on fire. Hiccup swallowed before she turned around and took off running. “Help!!!” She screamed as loud as she could, her feet pushing her body forward as fast as it could. She felt the dragon behind her; every step the creature took caused the earth to shake, like a mini-earthquake.

The Monstrous Nightmare snorted a blast at her direction. She narrowly dodged it, but she felt the edge of her camouflage suit catch on fire. “Hel no! Do you _know_ how much _time_ it took to make this?!”

She shouted over her shoulder. The Sea. If she could reach the docks, then one dip in and the dragon should leave her alone; dragons don’t like wet victims. “Here is to hoping!” She whispered to herself. Picking up speed, she dodged another fire ball.

Hiccup jumped, avoiding a smoking wood that was probably once part of a roof. The leather she had carelessly sewed on her suit was stopping the fire from spreading, but the young girl could feel the fire burning a hole in her shirt. It was probably already beginning to burn the second woolen layer of the shirt. If she doesn’t put out the fire soon, she’ll probably burn to death.

The young girl took another step, but hissed as her foot caught a crack in the ground.

_Crack!_

‘Thor’s hammer!’ The girl swore in her mind, staring left and finding the pink dragon still chasing her. ‘That’s going to get swollen later!’

She looked to the right and she saw the docks. Water wasn’t far; it was just a slope away. She bit her lip and moved her right leg despite the searing pain. As she felt hot fire lick at her back, Hiccup closed her legs and hugged her arms close to her body. She then used all of her weight to tilt herself to the right, allowing gravity to do the rest of work for her.

Hiccup kept her mouth and eyes closed, even when she felt like screaming and looking behind her. Stones and small wood pieces cut into her face and sand entered her open wounds, but she didn’t dare open her mouth. She only opened her eyes when she felt cold, salty water enter her lungs through her nose, and caress her wounds and her burns. Hiccup ignored the pain in her eyes and body, instead she swam upwards, her lungs screaming for air.  

As she broke out of the water, Hiccup’s teary eyes somehow caught sight of the biggest, strongest Viking in all of Berk through a curtain of wet auburn hair. He was wrestling with the Monstrous Nightmare that had been chasing her! She remembered the tales other children used to tell; as a baby he once popped the head of a dragon clean off its shoulders. Did she believe it? Well, it was sort of hard not to believe it when she lived with the man in the same house.

As Stoick the Vast’s disapproving eyes met hers, the girl nicknamed: “Useless” by her peers smiled nervously. The chief of the village narrowed his eyes angrily.

“Hi… dad.”

*****

“Can you not listen to the simplest orders, Hiccup!” Her father exclaimed while Eldhida, her grandmother, was busy patching her up. Thankfully the burns on her back were not as bad as she had thought they were, and her ankle will heal in just two weeks.

“I tell you to stay inside, and what do you do? You go _out_!”

Astrid, Hiccup’s younger sister, watched as Hiccup got scolded by their father. A walking stick slammed on Stoick’s face; Eldhida held it in her wrinkly hand, her small eyes narrowed angrily.

“How dare you talk to your child like that? Why, if Valka was here she’d run away for sure!”

Stoick and his two daughters flinched at that. Nobody was allowed to talk about the dead woman in the chief’s presence. Of course, Eldhida was the only exception to that rule. As another screaming match erupted between mother and son both sisters slipped out of the room quietly.

  “You shouldn’t have gone out, Hiccup.” Astrid told her. Hiccup snorted and continued to limp towards her bedroom. “Why should you be allowed to go out if I can’t?”

Astrid shrugged. “You’re the heir and I am the spare.” The blonde then bit her lip, looking unsure. “Father was very worried.” She added.

Hiccup let out a small, humorless laugh. “As if.”

*****

As night settled in Berk, the upper window of the chief’s house slid open. Small hands connected a pulley to the hook above the window. One side of the rope on the pulley had a big knot, while the other side had a loop big enough to slide a foot through. Connected to the knot was a long black braid made of ribbons.

Hiccup dropped the rope with the loop on to the ground. She then wrapped her arms around the rope and slid down.

She was going to find that Night Fury.

 

                                                                                                               


	3. Second Capture your Intended (Dragon)

                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                               

****

****

** Chapter Two: **

** Second Capture your Intended (Dragon) **

 

In the great hall, a Very Important Discussion was taking place. Hiccup knew nothing of this as she was too busy limping her way through the forest, searching for the Night Fury. As Vikings cleared the great hall, Stoick sighed and sat next to his best friend.

“What am I going to do with her, Gobber?” Stoick asked, rubbing his temples tiredly. He was sick of his daughter running off and putting herself in danger. Gobber took a large gulp of his drink and shrugged his shoulders.

“What’d you mean ‘do with her’? She’s not a dog, Stoick.” The blonde answered, looking mildly offended on his apprentice’s behalf. Stoick, for his part, looked apologetic. “That’s not what I meant! You know what she’s like –” He said in a hurry, sounding desperate. “I take her fishing and she goes… hunting for trolls!”

“Trolls exist! They steal your socks, but only the left ones!” The smith hotly defended Hiccup. Stoick gave Gobber a dirty glance. “Well, I see where she got _that_ belief from.” The Chief said looking down and sighing again, his eyebrows furrowed.

Gobber twitched uncomfortably when he saw his friend being upset. “Listen, Stoick… Put Hiccup in training with the other recruits; it’d do her good. Who knows, she might even get a date!” He proposed, taking another swing from the mug that was connected to his left arm. Stoick abruptly stood up, his face red and his entire body shaking uncontrollably. The sudden movement caused Gobber’s mug to slam into his mouth, causing a stone tooth to fall inside the cup.

“Absolutely not!” He objected, waving his arm around, while the other clenched, as though it was preparing to punch someone. Gobber ignored his friend’s fury and tried to fish his stone tooth from inside the mug.

“So which one is it? No to the training or the date thing?”

“Both!” Stoick boomed, crossing his arms behind him and beginning to pace. “No boy is good enough for my girl, besides – she will be killed before you let out the first dragon! I won’t lose her like I’ve lost Valka!”

“You don’t know that.” Gobber said, letting out a small victorious ‘whoop’ as he managed to catch his tooth. Fitting it back inside his mouth made him feel whole again. The smith chuckled at the irony.

“Yes, I do!”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes, actually I do! Ever since she could crawl, she’s been… different!”

“Well, she is… You know, _her_ daughter. It’s only natural for her to be different.” The blonde said, playing with the loose stone tooth with his tongue. He used the mug that was connected to his arm to hammer the tooth, trying to steady it.

“Well, she’s mine too! But she acts more like you and her mother than me!”

Ah, the smith realized. Stoick was frustrated with how his daughter acted, but at the same time he didn’t want her to change; she had too much of her mother for him to wish that. He also didn’t want Hiccup to spend more time with Gobber, not when the girl treated him like a father while Stoick could rarely get a “hello” from her.  

“You are her father, Stoick. She loves you the most and no matter how she acts or who she acts like, that’s not going to change.”

Stoick sighed and sat down next to his friend again. “I know but… Gobber, I want my little girl back.” He said, sounding mournful. His eyes looked into the fire of the lantern above them, looking lost. “I hardly know my daughter – She’s growing up to be more like Valka and I am afraid she’s going to share her fate.”

“Stoick,” Gobber said, staring into his friend’s eyes. “neither you or I are going to be around forever to protect her. You have to let her learn how to fight if you want her to avoid her mother’s fate.”

“I know Gobber but… Valka made me promise…”

“Valka’s gone _because_ of that promise, Stoick. If you want your only child to live, you’ll have to break that promise.”

*****

“Gods curse this place!” Exclaimed Hiccup as she narrowly avoided slamming into a tree. She looked up from the map she had drawn on her notebook. According to her calculations, she should have found the dragon by now!

She began to violently wave her arms around, the lantern that was hanging on her wrist swinging with every move she made.

“Most people lose socks, teeth, wedding rings and their babies! But not me; I lose an entire dragon!”

Letting out a frustrated screech, Hiccup tore out the map out of her notebook. Crumbling the paper into a ball, she threw the paper away with all of her strength. Panting, she stared at the crumbled paper that was once part of her notebook.

She looked at the notebook she held in one hand. Then at the paper ball few steps away from her. Her father had given her this notebook and even though it was just a notebook, it was still something her father had given her. Her father was rarely home and when he was he often spent his time with Astrid.

Hiccup may not be his favorite person, and he may be wishing that Astrid was his eldest but… Every single moment her father spends with her and every single gift he gives her is precious. Even a small insignificant paper is precious. She sighed, placed the notebook into her pocket and walked towards the wrinkled paper but as she knelt down to pick up the bunched paper, a strong wind picked the paper and sent it flying.

“Hey!” She said to no one, chasing the paper ball. She hissed as she accidentally put too much weight on her injured foot. The wind led her away from the path and deeper into the dark forest. Small lights, probably fireflies, illuminated the path the wind was taking her. As she was running, it occurred to her that she was dancing through the woods; dodging low branches, jumping over rotten ones and hopping on stones. It was a careful and slow dance, however. Every time she jumped her foot punished her and so she tried to keep her weight off her right leg. By the time she found the paper, stuck between two low branches, she was panting and in pain. She grabbed the paper and grinned to herself, letting out a victorious: “Aha”.

 “You thought you can take it away from me now did you? Well clearly you have never met a foe like me, o’ wind spirit!”

She chuckled to herself, using her hand to smoothen the crumbled paper and putting it inside her pocket, with her notebook. Her mirth quickly disappeared, however, when she saw the state of the trees around her.

“What happened here?” She asked herself, her index finger tracing the broken tree. It was supposed to be a strong, sturdy oak but it was cut in half. “No, not cut… broken.” Hiccup muttered to herself, observing the sharp edge of the tree. To her, it looked like something had hit the tree and broke it; the tree now looked like a torture stump of blades rather than plant.

She looked around her and observed the other trees. Some were in worse shape, while others were in similar condition. Few lucky trees lost only some of its branches. Most trees were completely destroyed, leaving only jagged stumps – a mockery of its once tall, proud forms.

“What sort of creature can do this?” She asked herself, feeling equally excited and frightened. She looked down and saw disturbance on the ground; something crawled and then jumped; she could see the drag marks and the footprints, although she didn’t recognize the footprint. The trail ended in front of a small hill that overlooked the area next to the destroyed trees.

“I should turn back, go home…” She said to herself, her fists clenching in anticipation. A creature that can cause so much damage must be dangerous. “But I want to – I have to know.”

She threw herself to the ground, uncaring of the dirt that would inevitably dirty her dress. She used her elbows to advance towards the small hill that was surrounded by rocks. She looked up, eyes alit with excitement.

A gasp escaped her mouth as her eyes caught sight of the beast lying on the ground. It was black and it had… ropes around it?

“I am not afraid.” She said to herself, knowing that she was lying. She pushed herself off the ground and looked over the hill again, but this time she did not turn away.

Beyond the hill, the trees were largely untouched and unharmed. The dragon laid on the ground, its limbs and wings wrapped by coils of rope. She recognized that rope; she had woven it herself. The creature let out a pained groan, trying to move its wing. An incredulous giggle escaped her; she was beginning to feel giddy.

“Yes! It worked – well, I made it so of course it did!” Hiccup said, laughing to herself. Placing the lantern on the rock behind her, she brought out the dagger Astrid had given her many moons ago. She should kill the Night Fury and bring back his head as a trophy; she will be accepted as a member of the village; a warrior – she will receive the honor of being a true Viking!

Her father will surely accept her as his heir. Even better, he will accepts her as a daughter who is worthy of his name and attention.

Besides, the dragon’s a menace. Hiccup couldn’t count how many times she had to help in fixing the weapons the dragon destroyed during the raids.

She began to creep towards the laying creature. She raised the blade to her eye-level.

 “I am going to kill you, dragon!” Hiccup said. Her hands began to shake violently at the thought of killing the dragon. ‘ _My first kill!’_ The young maiden thought to herself. Hoping for strength, she quoted her grandfather: “I am going to kill you because I am a Viking. Your head will make a fine trophy!”

The Night Fury whimpered at her words. The brunette opened her eyes in surprise. She looked down and saw the dragon’s cat-like eyes. It slumped its head and closed its eyes in defeat and let out a sad noise that broke the young Viking’s heart.

The creature’s soft cries were nothing compared to the dragon’s eyes, however. Even though the pupils were slit and the shape and size was completely different from her own, Hiccup knew those eyes.

_‘Those eyes… They’re so familiar; sad, lonely, defeated, ashamed and afraid. They’re the same eyes I see every day in the mirror.’_

She swallowed. Her feet could not hold her up anymore and she fell to the ground, feeling like a coward.

“I did this.” She said quietly, gripping the edges of her plain dress. Although she had often swore to never be as mean or as spiteful as the bullies in the village, that is exactly what she had become. She was mean, spiteful, weak and full of insecurities and she let out her frustrations on a creature that did not deserve it.

“I thought you a beast, but you are just as human as I am.” She said, reaching out and holding the ropes that bound the dragon in front of her.

She forced a proud creature to wear her shameful expression. She, a true warrior? A Viking? What a joke!

“That’s all I am; a joke, a weakling, a runt! I am sorry!” She choked out the last words, filled with tears and regret. Just like her hands, her body began to shake as well.  The dragon’s eyes snapped open when she apologized, and he stared at her with a confused look.

“I am sorry, I – I will fix this.” She promised, gripping the hilt of the dagger tightly in her fist. She bit her lip and tried to hold back her urge to throw up. Closing her eyes, she brought the blade to the rope and began to cut through the rope.

“Oh mighty Thor, please protect me.” She prayed to herself as she cut the dragon loose. She hoped her trust was not misplaced, or she will most likely die here away from her family. Cutting the ropes felt like release, strangely enough. She felt as though she was being relieved of a great burden.

The dragon broke what was left of the ropes and threw Hiccup back. She slammed against the rocks behind her and groaned. The dragon was then above her, and he had her pinned by her shoulders. Green eyes, still groggy from the pain of impact, looked up and stared at the dragon looming over her, his eyes still sad but no longer defeated. Fire burned in them.

His eyes promised vengeance.

“Are you going to kill me?” She whispered quietly.

The dragon blinked at her, and for a second Hiccup could swear that the pupils looked round instead of slits. The dragon opened his mouth, but instead of biting her, shrieked in the young girl’s ear and left her behind while blood still screamed in her ears.

“You’re welcome!” She tried to say sarcastically but the words did not leave her mouth. She still could not hear a thing, but she used the rock behind her to try and stand up. _‘If my leg had a mouth, it’d be insulting me to Hel and beyond.’_ She thought to herself, grimacing as another

“Huh. I haven’t fainted.” She said to herself, finding her voice now the dragon was far away. Darkness greeted her after she said that, and her last thought was: ‘ _Oh bother.’_

*

Hiccup woke up when the air was stolen from her lungs.

To be more precise, she woke up when she felt a heavy body land on her stomach. _Thump!_ Another thing landed to her right. She wheezed, trying to breath and heard: “Go! Go!” The voice was so faint though, that Hiccup suspected that it came from her own imagination.

The weight removed itself from her middle, and Hiccup took a deep breath. Relieved she could breathe again, the young girl began to distance herself from her assailant. She still felt light-headed, and the world was a jumbled mess of colors and faint lines.

A deep breath and several blinks after, Hiccup found herself staring at a pair of bright blue eyes. She blinked and placed her hand on the other teenager’s face, pushing him away.   “Were you talking to yourself?” She said, instead of greeting him as she should have.

The boy smiled awkwardly. He scratched the back of his head, his blonde hair becoming messier with every scratch. “Who? Me? Nope. You must’ve been imagining it.”

“I don’t think I’ve imagined you falling on me,” She grumbled to herself, stretching her arms above her. Ouch; her shoulders hurt from where the dragon had placed his impressive paws on her.

“Ah sorry about that, I was trying to climb a tree.” The blonde said, scratching his forehead this time. Hiccup looked at the only tree next to them. It was her height.

Before she could say anything however, the boy stuck out his hand and smiled at her: “I am Eirik of the Brynajar Tribe, pleasure to fall on you.”

Hiccup blinked and stared at the hand in front of her like it was something right out of a legend. Her eyes were wide and her expression confused. Everyone in the village knew her, and those who came to the village never really wanted to be acquainted with the less promising progeny of Stoick.

Her shaking hand moved towards the offered hand. Hiccup’s movements were terribly slow, but the boy patiently held out his hand, his smile never faltering and his hand unmoving. Finally, the teenager’s hesitating hand gripped the offered hand.

“Hiccup,” She said, blushing as she realized she had exposed herself as the runt of her age-group. When she realized that the hand she was holding wasn’t going to retreat, she offered him a shy smile and finished: “of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. It’s my pleasure to be fallen on.”

The boy, Eirik, grinned at her. Hiccup’s heart made a strange flutter in her chest and she blinked, wondering what the strange feeling was. Realizing she was still holding the boy’s hand, she quickly let go.

She tried to stand up, but her leg opposed her actions. Losing her balance, Hiccup was certain her face was going to be reacquainted with the ground. Eirik quickly moved his arms to catch her before she hit the hard earth beneath them.

“Woah! Are you okay?” He asked, giving her leg a cursory glance. “That looks pretty nasty.”

The blonde then helped the girl sit down on one of the rocks around them and bent down, examining her injured leg. It looked swollen and red, and as Eirik put it: ‘nasty’. “I twisted it,” Hiccup informed him, looking up at the full moon above her. “Few hours before.”

“And you still left your house?” He asked, picking up a saddlebag from her right. That must be what had fallen next to her after Eirik fell on her. Still, it was a strange saddlebag; very big and bulky. It looked like it fit to be attached to a bull rather than a horse.

“You can say I was trying to… make my father proud.” By killing a helpless creature. Certainly it wasn’t innocent, but it didn’t deserve to be murdered when it didn’t injure anyone in anyway.

Hiccup watched as Eirik pulled out strange herbs and a long strip of cloth from the bag. She had never seen anything like it on Berk before. “Well, I suppose we are both alike in that purpose, then.” He said as he began to rub the herbs between his fingers, the juice dripping into the cloth he held in his other hand.

“What do you mean?”

“My father wants to recapture an escaped… bird? Yeah, bird. I figured if I captured it, he’d be proud of me. Now don’t move.” He ordered as he wiped his fingers clean on his shirt. He began to wrap the bandage around Hiccup’s foot.

“What does that do?” Asked Hiccup curiously, watching as he wrapped it around her injured ankle. What’s the worse that can happen, right?

“It’ll lessen the swelling quickly – it’s usually ingested, but I don’t want you thinking I am poisoning you.” He said grinning, and winking at her. She’s seen Snotlout do that to Astrid a lot, and while Eirik was far more attractive than her cousin, the blonde looked just as ridiculous as her cousin did when he was winking.

Soon, the empty forest was filled with the sounds of two teenagers laughing.

*

After Eirik’s miracle salve, Hiccup’s leg felt like – well, not new, but normal. So knowing that if she’d be in trouble if she didn’t go back to the village soon, Hiccup left Eirik. The young girl gave him her lantern and asked if he was going to sail back home.

“Sail? I mean – no, not yet. My, my ship’s been a bit… ruffed up. It’ll take a while to fix it.”

“Do you need anything? I am the blacksmith’s apprentice; maybe I can bring you something?”

Then the blonde gave her another grin and replied cryptically: “Nah it’s nothing that won’t fix itself.”

Usually, Hiccup would ask more questions but she didn’t want to ruin Eirik’s smile, so she smiled back and asked if she could see him again.

His grin widened and he promised her that they will meet again.

The teenager smiled and quietly hummed a tune that she remembered her father singing to her as a child. The smile, however, quickly evaporated when Hiccup saw her village. That’s right; she’s a failure.

She couldn’t kill a dragon – she’s not a Viking, she’s just a… mistake. A Hiccup.

Kicking a nearby pebble, Hiccup speed walked towards her house through the quiet, slumbering Berk.

Opening the door, the brunette saw a large figure tending to the fire. A loud, high-pitched snore informed her that her grandmother was sleeping nearby. She probably fell asleep trying to predict Hiccup’s future husband. Trying to be quiet, Hiccup slowly moved towards the stairs that led towards the bedrooms.

“Hiccup.” Her father called out, and the young maiden sighed. ‘ _Here comes the lecture,’_ she thought to herself as she turned around and faced her father.

“Yeah?”

Her father looked to the side and Hiccup turned her head and followed his gaze. There, inside the wooden frame was her mother’s face. Everyone said Hiccup looked like her, but Hiccup couldn’t see the similarities. True, she had her mother’s hair color and round features, but her mother was more… graceful and powerful-looking.

Hiccup was just an awkward mass of flesh.

Stoick the Vast, chief of Berk, looked like he was trying to draw strength from his missing wife’s face. “Hiccup,” He repeated. “I need to talk to you.”

“Oh.” Hiccup replied, honestly surprised that he wasn’t going to punish her for escaping home, or take away her escape tools. Still, she considered him talking to her to be rather convenient, so she said: “I need to talk to you too.”

This is her chance. Her chance to tell her father that she didn’t want to be a Viking warrior, and even though it hurt her to think about it, this was her chance to tell her father that she didn’t want to become a blacksmith either, because that would mean creating weapons that would be used to hurt dragons.

“I don’t want to kill dragons.”

“I think it’s time you started your dragon training.”

They said at the same time, but they both heard each other clearly. Disbelief filled Hiccup’s mind, and her eyebrows joined and she said a bit shakily: “Excuse me?”

Her father took a deep breath in and, as though he didn’t hear what she said, explained himself: “I think that it’s time you learned how to protect yourself from dragons.”

“Well, let me repeat – no, let me rephrase what I said: Dad! I _can’t_ kill dragons.”

Her father grabbed his axe and swung his packed bag on his shoulder. Hiccup felt her heart sink into her stomach; was he leaving? He can’t leave before they solve this misunderstanding!

“Yes, yes you can.” He said. “Although your mother didn’t kill dragons, _I_ do kill dragons. Your grandfather and his father before him killed dragons – you come from a long line of dragon hunters, and you will kill dragons too, lass.” He then waved his hand in her general direction and said: “It’s time to stop all… this, and grow up Hiccup.”

“You gestured to all of me.” She replied, turning around and facing the fire her father was tending. It blazed hot, and it reminded her of the Night Fury’s angry eyes. The young girl didn’t realize that she was  _that_  much of an embarrassment to her father.

Her father walked towards the door and as he left, he said: “Tell your grandmother and Astrid that I said goodbye. I will be back, probably.” He muttered the last part, as though he didn’t mean for Hiccup to overhear him, but she did.

“I’ll be here, dad… maybe.” What was the point of her staying here if the only thing she brought her father is embarrassment?

Hiccup closed her eyes, and willed the tears not to fall.


End file.
